Friday, March 21, 2014

Asparagus Appreciation!

my precious little spring bundle of love

Every year I look forward to the arrival of asparagus at the farmers' market. For me, it is the one true harbinger of Spring. Once the asparagus arrives, I know winter is officially over and happy days are ahead. Soon there will be berries and cherries and then stone fruits and so on and so forth!

Last week, the asparagus arrived and I went overboard and bought (and ate!) 4 bunches in one week. Mwahahaha! No regrets! To keep it simple, I just lightly cooked them in a cast iron pan over medium-heat with a tiny spray of oil... until they were soft and lightly browned. Sooooo good.

As you may know, our kitty Yummers really loves asparagus. Even though it's been a whole year since asparagus season, little Mr. Yummers had not forgotten his favorite veggie - and materialized out of nowhere ... meowing like a persistent beast until he got his share. It's so cute! (here's an old video of him eating an entire asparagus in one fell swoop - after that show of gluttony, now I only give him the little tips!)

Asparagus season hasn't sprouted in full force here, but it miraculously was on sale here last week. (At $5 pound, I wouldn't call it cheap by any means, but in comparison to its usual out-of-season price, I couldn't help but splurge.) Jezebel, my little girl cat, goes absolutely nuts for it (which I discovered after seeing the Yummers video when you first posted it). She also was right there as soon as the smell was wafting from the oven where it was roasting. I cut the ends off of all of the asparagus spears, because the tips are my favorites, and she actually likes the soft ends more. When she's around asparagus, she's like a kitty obsessed! She just can't get enough, and she's so adorable, I really have no choice but to share. The season is far too short for both of us! :) Luckily, our other cat, Spike, doesn't have much of an interest!

lol...I love your baby asparagus bundle! We bought a boatload of asparagus a few days ago and have been happily munching on them. It's supereasy to take a half dozen spears, roll them up in wet paper towels and microwave them for 3 or 4 minutes and zap, they're a deliciously steamed healthy snackfood. So happy it's asparagus season! :)

Yum! I love asparagus toooo. I work for at farmer's market for an organic farm and have a ton of not-quite-sellable asparagus (a ton = 11 or so lbs). I wish I could share with you! Also I super love your drawings for this!

I love asparagus so much too! It is such a great sign of spring. :) My favourite way to have it is roasted in the oven with olive oil and then served with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, which I think really brings out the flavour. Yum, I am craving it now!